Law firm Womble adds 19 lawyers from shuttering firm

By Sara Merken

NEW YORK, Jan 16 (Reuters) - A group of 36 people from McGlinchey Stafford, a midsize U.S. law firm that voted earlier this month to shut its doors, has joined transatlantic firm Womble Bond Dickinson, following a string of group hires by large firms from smaller shops since the start of the year.

Womble said on Friday that it has hired a consumer financial services team from McGlinchey that includes 19 lawyers and 17 licensing professionals. As part of the move, Womble will open new offices in Albany and Cleveland, and add other lawyers in Houston, Irvine and Washington, D.C.

New Orleans-founded McGlinchey voted on January 5 to wind down its operations, citing "market factors and internal circumstances,” including lagging collections for the 160-lawyer firm. It said “a number” of McGlinchey lawyers had recently announced plans to leave.

A McGlinchey spokesperson on Friday declined to comment when asked about the timing of the group’s move to Womble and the status of its wind down.

Mark Edelman, a longtime McGlinchey lawyer who is leading the group joining Womble, declined to comment about the timing or the firm’s decision to close. Edelman said the team's financial services and technology clients will benefit from Womble's wider range of practice areas and geographic reach.

Womble, which has more than 1,300 lawyers, is the product of a 2017 transatlantic merger between North Carolina-based Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice; and UK-based law firm Bond, Dickinson. The firm has since gone through other combinations, including a tie-up last year with Phoenix-based Lewis, Roca, Rothgerber, Christie.

Several large firms have picked up smaller groups since the start of the year. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole combined with two firms in New York – Kaplan Rice and Leichtman Law. Hughes Hubbard & Reed acquired Washington firm Schulman Bhattacharya, while Spencer Fane combined with Global IP Counselors, also based in Washington.